Tristan Winterbourne
Tristan is an orphan from the city-state of Dalannor. He was born near the end of the year, and so like all orphans of Dalannor born during the colder months he was surnamed Winterbourne and, also in keeping with national traditions, placed in an orphanage in the watchman barracks. Since the people of Dalannor believed that orphans would turn to crime if left on their own, they would turn to theft and end up in the custody of the watch anyway. As a child, Tristan was a curious and hardworking sort. Never one to go out and play with the others, he would stay in the barracks all day and fiddle with curious contraptions or imitate the guards as they practiced their fighting skills. A particularly kindhearted watchwoman, Sylvie Riviere, took the young boy under her wing (although she never officially adopted him) and cultivated his intelligence, teaching him how to read, how to track criminals, what the laws were, how to fight. As he grew older, stronger, more intelligent, he found himself drawn towards upholding the law and order of Dalannor, which was unusual. The city operated very much on bloodlines, and Tristan being an orphan meant he was destined - at best - to be a common laboror. A job such as the watch was reserved for the middle class. With Sylvie's backing, Tristan managed to buck the caste system, proving himself to be every bit the equal of the other watchmen even if it meant working twice as hard for longer hours and less pay. This was what he wanted to do and always had been, other than his love for machinery and learning. By the time he was 21 he had impressed enough nobles to earn a spot in the palace guard, and even though it meant leaving what few friends he had behind he accepted. For the next four years he worked for the ruler of Dalannor, Aurelian d'Allemagne, as a royal guard. Although prestigious, life was boring and he again longed for the days he would spend investigating, helping protect the city. Eventually word reached Dalannor that Ligoria had had an influx of hacturi immigrants, and to improve relations with the kingdom, Aurelian asked Tristan to lead a contingent of fifty watchmen to lend their support. Tristan was more than happy to travel and perhaps get working in a new city. To show willing, he even asked for (and received) the standard armor the watch of Ligoria wore, although he kept his royal sword and shield as a token of where he had come from and where his original loyalties lay. As for appearance, Tristan is a tall, athletic sort, standing at six feet even and weighing around one hundred and eighty pounds. His eyes are a faded blue and his blond hair is a bit shaggy but swept back so it falls around his shoulders. He has a thick mustache he is rather proud of and will sometimes stroke it when lost in thought. His face is nothing overly special; he's not a handsome man, but not plain, either. Maybe a 6.5 or 7 out of 10. He wears the green armor of Ligoria, which consists of a cuirass, pauldrons, boots, gauntlets, and a helmet (although he only wears this when he thinks a fight is a bout to start). Under that he wears a a faded blue shirt with silver embroidery, a long black coat with a high collar that can fasten around his neck (although, much like the rest of the coat, it is left unbuttoned) and black pants. In terms of personality, Tristan is a curious fellow. He is intelligent and generous, but he is very serious-minded and his first priority is always upholding the law. He likes to tinker with inventions and read, and in his off-duty hours can often be found doing one or the other. He has a bit of an inferiority complex due to the strict caste system of Dalannor and so is always looking to prove himself, even if it's only to himself. As a result he's a perfectionist and tends to take failing very hard. Of his fifty guardsmen, only five have been spoken to by name: Girard Lambert, Jean Prideux, Aimée Béringer, and the siblings Joséphine and Sébastien Lévesque. Category:Characters